Who's with me?

This will be great!

Printmaking

A carved linoleum block

Printmaking is my favourite way to be artsy fartsy.  Unless you're really winging it when you're carving the block, it's hard to screw up the design and even if you do, you can usually fix it so it looks like the mistake was made on purpose.

The resulting print

I tend to think about what I'm going to draw, sometimes for weeks (and months...) then I draw a rough draft on paper in pencil.  When I'm happy with how it looks I flip the paper over and lay it on top of the lineoleum block.  Then, I use a pencil to rub the back of the paper so the design transfers lightly on to the block so there's a general cutting guide.

Polar bear linoleum block for a print I made for my Dad for his birthday a couple of years ago.  About a year after I made his print (the only one) I wanted to try something fancy with different colours but the brayer I used just mixed them all together and made a big mess.  I need to try again with more than one brayer.

Penguin block

Penguin print with a watercolour wash

I happened to reserve two of the same book from the library by accident.  The first was published in 1955 and the second in the 1970s.   

The book offered this interesting tip

Printmaking project ideas by month

I should definitely make a patriotic motto card this month.  Suggestions?

When we were in San Francisco last weekend I stopped at the art store hoping to pick up a large linoleum block (18x24 or larger) so I wouldn't have to pay shipping by ordering it online.  They didn't carry the larger sizes in the store anyway so I'll be placing an order soon.  Shipping's free at Blick if you spend over $160.  Anyone need some art supplies and want to go in on an order?

What art or craft projects are you working on right now?

Clipping Coupons

There are TOO many deal websites now, aren't there?  I get two emails a day from groupon, one from livingsocial, and yelp is offering deals now too.  I bought the 40$ for 80$ worth of artwork through a livingsocial deal at 20x200 after I'd seen this print by Todd Forsgren of a white crowned sparrow temporarily caught in a mist net so scientists could get his details before letting him fly off again.  He looks so cute all tangled up in there.

The smaller, more affordable sizes sold out immediately and now the only size left in this particular print is 30x40 and it costs $2400.  BOING!  At the time there wasn't really anything else that caught my eye so I've been holding on to my livingsocial coupon since April 2011.  I checked today and the art prices have increased!  I decided to hustle and get some prints instead of waiting any longer.  

 I like all the patterns and colours in this one by Ann Toebbe.  I ordered the 11x14 unframed size.

This one, by Chris Ballantyne, makes me think of a vintage paint by numbers kit.  I ordered the 8.5x11 unframed.

I wonder how many people buy the coupons and forget about them until they expire.  I have a coupon from 2010 that I bought from restaurant.com for 35$ worth of food at Flaming Grill.  That's a LOT of food.  Their prices are reasonable already and their portions are way too big.  You'd need at least 4 people to spend 35$ there since most of the burgers are under 8$.  Anyone want to go? V bought a deal for 18$ worth of cocktails at Dive Bar.  Have you walked past that place on a weekend?  A week or two ago, one guy wouldn't move out of the way so I could get past him on the sidewalk EVEN after I'd said "excuse me".  I had to push him out of the way while holding my breath.  A cologne cloud surrounds that bar.